The police department in Arlington, Texas, essentially destroyed an organic farm when SWAT “showed up unannounced, uninvited, raped the land and held captive every human present at gunpoint,” according to a statement by The Garden of Eden.

Authorities eventually claimed that they were there to infiltrate an illegal marijuana growing and drug trafficking operation, but absolutely no evidence of any such activity was discovered on the property.

The SWAT team raided the farm on the morning of Aug. 2, after a search warrant had been signed the day before. The city claims that they received a number complaints that marijuana was being grown on the property, in addition to ongoing complaints about conditions on the property including “grass that was too tall, bushes growing too close to the street, a couch and piano in the yard, chopped wood that was not properly stacked, a piece of siding that was missing from the side of the house, and generally unclean premises.”

When authorities did not discover any pot plants on the property, they issued additional citations for code violations instead and hauled off several trailer loads of materials which the farm used for various purposes in maintaining the operations on the premises.

The eight adults who were at the farm during the raid claim that officers came in and immediately detained them by handcuffing them and holding them at gunpoint. This included the mother of a 22-month-old and a two-week-old baby who were separated from their mother during the raid. The city however, states that they only detained them for 30 minutes, as is standard procedure during a narcotics investigation, and that after half an hour anyone who was on the property was free to leave if they so wished.

Quinn Eaker, who lives at the farm, told reporters, “I think every single right we have was violated, every single one.”

However, the raid was not a total waste, as officers did discover that Eaker had outstanding traffic violations and was subsequently arrested.

The time has come to end the prohibition of marijuana in Pennsylvania.

Hundreds of thousands of marijuana smokers across the commonwealth face serious penalties for something which many (myself included) believe should not be a crime. A person in Pennsylvania who is caught with 30 grams of marijuana or less faces up to 30 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. If you get caught with 31 grams, suddenly that’s a potential penalty of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Growers and dealers face even worse penalties: between two and 10 years in prison and a $5,000-$100,000 fine with a felony on their record. These laws are enforced with zeal across the commonwealth, with tens of thousands of people arrested every year, many of whom are convicted and serve time. There is a better way for our society to deal with the cultivation, distribution, possession and use of cannabis than prohibition.

Ever since marijuana was made illegal, things have only gotten worse. The ban was sold to Americans as a moral imperative and something that would produce positive results in society. These results included success in preventing people from wanting to use marijuana, being able to get it or being able to sell it. In every single one of those categories, prohibition has failed.

Attempting to ban the cultivation or sale of cannabis is an exercise in futility because it’s incredibly easy to grow. With only very minimal extra training, it’s easy to grow very high-quality cannabis, and in significant quantity. More importantly, people really like it. Demand has gone up, supply has skyrocketed and misinformation abounds. As a result, millions of people have had their lives ruined by jail time, fines, confiscation of property or money and lack of legal access to marijuana for its legitimate medical uses. The prohibition of marijuana has caused more harm than the marijuana itself ever could.

It wasn’t Seattle’s first “Hempfest” celebrating recreational marijuana. That was 22 years ago.

But the gathering this weekend in the “Emerald City” – featuring crafts, music, food booths, speakers, and plenty of pungent smoke – was the first cannabis protest rally since voters in Washington State approved a ballot measure (I-502) last November legalizing recreational use of the drug.

It also included pro-legalization lawyers explaining the law – including a warning that marijuana is still illegal under federal law – as well as uniformed police officers handing out snacks to smokers feeling the “munchies.”

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Technically, public use of marijuana remains illegal under Washington's new law, punishable by a $103 ticket. But Seattle police have only been giving people warnings since the law passed, and they had no plans to write anyone up at Hempfest.

But those bags of nacho-cheese Doritos chips handed out Saturday by Seattle’s finest came with a friendly but very clear message as well.

“We thought you might be hungry,” the label reads. “We also thought now might be a good time for a refresher on the do’s and don’ts of I-502.

The don’ts: "Don't drive while high. Don’t give, sell, or shotgun weed to people under 21. Don't use pot in public. You could be cited but we'd rather give you a warning."

The do’s: “Do listen to Dark Side of the Moon at a reasonable volume. Do enjoy Hempfest.”